as in to honey
to praise too much
a flunky who shamelessly butters up the boss
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Recent Examples of butter up
Some buttering up in your prompt can likely produce this.
—
Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 21 July 2025
Enter Rutte, who knew Trump from his time as Prime Minister, and who got to work buttering up the American president.
—Tom Nagorski, Time, 18 July 2025
Images of toadies buttering up an emperor come to mind.
—Bill Goodykoontz, AZCentral.com, 11 July 2025
Timothy Nwachukwu/Getty Images Anderson, currently a free agent, could be buttering up the Commanders to get a contract offer, but there is some truth to his statement.
—Victor Williams, MSNBC Newsweek, 2 July 2025
Add butter and pulse in or use a fork to break butter up into pea-size pieces.
—Mary Ann Esposito, Boston Herald, 21 May 2025
In contrast, Tai — who eventually becomes a powerful lawyer as an adult — often relies on buttering up her witnesses and using courtroom theatrics to get her point across.
—Erin Qualey, Vulture, 28 Feb. 2025
The preview for The Muppet Show reveals special guest Sabrina Carpenter buttering up Miss Piggy backstage.
—Ashley Iasimone, Billboard, 3 Sep. 2019
Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 21 July 2025
Enter Rutte, who knew Trump from his time as Prime Minister, and who got to work buttering up the American president.
—Tom Nagorski, Time, 18 July 2025
Images of toadies buttering up an emperor come to mind.
—Bill Goodykoontz, AZCentral.com, 11 July 2025
Timothy Nwachukwu/Getty Images Anderson, currently a free agent, could be buttering up the Commanders to get a contract offer, but there is some truth to his statement.
—Victor Williams, MSNBC Newsweek, 2 July 2025
Add butter and pulse in or use a fork to break butter up into pea-size pieces.
—Mary Ann Esposito, Boston Herald, 21 May 2025
In contrast, Tai — who eventually becomes a powerful lawyer as an adult — often relies on buttering up her witnesses and using courtroom theatrics to get her point across.
—Erin Qualey, Vulture, 28 Feb. 2025
The preview for The Muppet Show reveals special guest Sabrina Carpenter buttering up Miss Piggy backstage.
—Ashley Iasimone, Billboard, 3 Sep. 2019
Recent Examples of Synonyms for butter up
Verb
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Her voice, languid and honeyed, can glide over sensual R&B, bouncing reggaetón, shimmering pop or nostalgic jazz.—
Isabela Raygoza,
Billboard,
16 Oct. 2025
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Those harmonies — simultaneously honeyed and gravelly, providing just enough support without overshadowing, yet so powerful and full of potential — echoes Whitten.—
Angie Martoccio,
Rolling Stone,
2 July 2024
Verb
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The surprise meeting was on the stage of the Zlata Hokejka (Golden Stick) award show in the Czech Republic, where Hašek congratulated Dostál for being named one of the country’s best hockey players.—
Jesse Granger,
New York Times,
9 Feb. 2026
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Rehmet said Patrick congratulated him.—
Jack Fink,
CBS News,
8 Feb. 2026
Verb
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When Robbie first strokes the plush walls, her Cathy stares with the appropriate mix of awe and terror.—
Kate Erbland,
IndieWire,
9 Feb. 2026
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She was later reunited with her dog, stroking him in stunned silence before being taken to the hospital.—
Danielle Bacher,
PEOPLE,
20 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Fingers skitter up and down the strings of a double bass, hands massage the piano keys, brushes gently scratch at the drums.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
13 Feb. 2026
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Some of that could use massaging, especially in a second act that is somewhat less secure.—
Chris Jones,
Chicago Tribune,
10 Feb. 2026
Verb
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And in 2025, to celebrate the Air Max 95’s 30th anniversary, Nike went all-in with a true-to-OG Big Bubble redesign, which has been universally praised by industry insiders and consumers alike.—
Riley Jones,
Footwear News,
14 Feb. 2026
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However, while users have praised the technology, Seedance has run into trouble.—
Arjun Kharpal,
CNBC,
14 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Her work was not only applauded by critics and fans but also earned her industry accolades, including a Golden Globe award and two Actor Awards (formerly known as the Screen Actors Guild Awards).—
Anthony Robledo,
USA Today,
10 Feb. 2026
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Link applauded the company's accelerating growth in China, which came out to 12%.—
Lisa Kailai Han,
CNBC,
10 Feb. 2026
Verb
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That was the closest the 2026 DGA speeches came to being political outside of union support, with directors Coogler and Safdie both commending the insurance the guild provides (particularly as each director has a child that is currently sick).—
Marcus Jones,
IndieWire,
8 Feb. 2026
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His teammates rallied behind him — including Sakamoto, men’s short program winner Yuma Kagiyama (who bested Malinin with a truly exceptional showing) and pairs favorites Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara — commending the rock solid performance.—
Natalie Oganesyan,
Deadline,
8 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Sharon used to be the company’s secret weapon, a beautiful, smart and immaculately presented businesswoman who flattered hard cash out of horny old billionaires.—
Damon Wise,
Deadline,
11 Feb. 2026
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Stolz says he’s flattered to hear about such comparisons but also is quick to note that what Heiden accomplished was remarkably different, given his participation at all five of those distances.—
Howard Fendrich,
Chicago Tribune,
11 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Butter up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/butter%20up. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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